Form clamp



H. K. NANSEL Aug. 24, 1965 FORM CLAMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19,1965 62 FLT IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII INVENTOR. #1919040 16 M/VJEL 1965 H. K.NANSEL 3202,4319

FORM CLAMP Filed Feb. 19, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY n lr/vfsy gm UnitedStates Patent 3,202,419 FQRM CLAMP Harold K. Nansel, Waverly, Nehru,assignor to Burg Manufacturing Company, Waverly, Nehn, a corporation ofNebraska Filed Feb. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 259,758 12 Claims. (CL 26236)Form clamps of various descriptions have been extensively used in theconstruction business in the fabrication of concrete wall forms. Amongthe functions of these clamps are to anchor the Wall ties and to holdthe forms together. Many existing clamps require the assembly anddisassembly of the parts thereof as the clamp is being used in variousphases of its operational cycle. Other clamps serve to interfere withthe vertical form reinforcing members, and some cannot be operatedwithout special tools.

Therefore, a principal object of my invention is to provide a form clampthat can be actuated through all phases of its operational cycle withoutbeing disassembled or reassembled.

A further object of my invention is to provide a form clamp which willeffectively hold the horizontal reinforcing members against the form,and which will stabilize the wall ties.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a form clamp thatvw'll facilitate the use of vertical form reinforcing members inaddition to accommodating the horizontal reinforcing members.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a form clamp thatcan be easily operated.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a form clamp thatwill tend to lock itself to the horizontal reinforcing member byforcibly penetrating the horizontal member.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a form clamp thatwill not easily become inoperative because of excessive forces beingexerted on its component parts.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a form clamp thatwill accommodate horizontal reinforcing members of different dimensions.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a form clamp thatwill hold itself in a locked operative position at times.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide a form clamp thatis economical in manufacture, durable in use, and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangements, andcombination, of the various parts of the device, whereby the objectscontemplated are atta ined as hereinafter more fully set forth,specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of my device in its released position;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of my device in its releasedposition;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of my device in its operativeposition;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of my device taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a partial plan view of my device as it is operativelymounted on a wall construction form as viewed on line 5-5 of FIGURE 6,and

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of my device in its operativeposition and mounted on a wall form.

I have used the numeral 10 to designate the vertical sheet of a Wallform which is normally comprised of two lhzhlifilh Fatented Aug. 24,E965 opposing spaced apart sheets it) which are interconnected by aplurality of Wall ties 12. Wall ties 12 consist of an elongated wire orrod which has its opposite ends terminating in hooks 14. A flattenedportion or stop element In is formed near each end of tie l2 inwardlyfrom hook 14. Hooks 14 extend outwardly through vertical slots 18 insheets 10. A frusto-conically shaped spacer element 20 has its inwardflange 22 hearing against stop element 16 and the outward flange 24bears against the inner surface of sheet 16. The diameter of spacerelement 20 becomes progressively greater from its inward to its outwardend. A bore on its longitudinal axis allows it to loosely embrace thetie 12. Only one end of these ties has been shown in FIGURES 5 and 6.

An inverted U-shaped bracket 26 is comprised of sides 28 and top 30. Areinforcing angle 32 is secured to and extends between the lower forwardends of the bracket. A pair of parallel slots 34 extend longitudinallyalong the side edges of the top 30 of bracket 26. A tapered arcuate slot36 extends rearwardly and thence forwardly from the forward center edgeof the top of the bracket. Slot 36 is adapted to receive and hold thehook 14 on wall tie 12 at times.

An inverted U-shaped carriage 38 is comprised of top 40 and sides 42. Apair of rectangularly-shaped arms 44 extend downwardly and forwardlyfrom the forward ends of sides 42 of carriage 38. Arms 44- extend downthrough the slots 34 in bracket 26 so that the upper edges of theforwardly extending arms slidably bear against the lower surface of thetop of bracket 26. The lower edges of arms 44 slidably engage the top ofthe angle 32 which extends across the lower forward end of bracket 26.At the same time, the lower edges of the sides 42 of carriage 38slidably bear against the upper surface of the top 30 of the bracket.The rearward end of carriage 38 is bent upwardly to form a verticallydisposed U-shaped bracket 46. A horizontally disposed forwardlyextending V- shaped element 48 is stamped into the upper end of bracket46. A spring 50 has one of its ends secured to the forward top end ofcarriage 38 and its other end secured to the rearward top end of bracket26 to normally hold the carriage in a rearward position.

A pin 52, which is circular in cross section, is horizon tally disposedand is secured by its ends in the sides 28 of bracket 26. As shown inFIGURES 2 and 3, pin 52 is located centrally of bracket 26 at a positionvertically below the rearward ends of slots 34 in the top of thebracket. A U-shaped yoke 54 is comprised of a normally horizontal bottomportion 56 with two upstanding side portions 58. Pin 52 extends throughaligned apertures in the side portions of the yoke at the upper endsthereof to rotatably support the yoke on the pin within the bracket 26.It will be noted that the side portions 58 of yoke 54 are in spacedrelationship to the sides 28 of bracket 26. A roll pin 69 similar to pin52 is rotatably mounted in the side portions 53 of yoke 54 in paralleland spaced relationship to pin 52. As shown in FIGURE 2, roll pin 60 isnormally directly below pin 52, and both pins are in engagement with therearward vertical edges of arms 44 when my device is in its inoperativeposition. A retainer pin 62, which is circular in cross section, ispositioned on yoke 54 iii-between pins 52 and 6t) and is in directengagement with the entire lengths of both pins 52 and 60. Retainer pin62 is rigidly secured to yoke 54 and its ends movably touch the innersurface of the sides 28 of bracket 26- to stabilize the yoke in alateral direction. In addition, pins 52 and 62 serve to uniformlysupport the roll pin 66 so that the forces exerted on the roll pin bythe arms 44- will not deflect or damage the roll pin. A straight handle64 is secured in any convenient manner to the bottom portion 56 of yoke54, and the handle normally extends rearwardly from the yoke.

. carriage rearwardly.

It will be noted that the rearward ends of the sides 28 of bracket 26extend beyond the rearward end of the top 3% This leaves open the areavertically below and behind bracket 46 on carriage 38. This notchopening in the rearward end of the top of bracket 30 permits a 2" x 4"vertical member to be received within the bracket 46. Both the sides ofbracket 46 and the rearward side portions of bracket 26 would serve toengage and laterally support such a vertical member. a

The normal operation of my device is as follows: When the sheets 10 andties 12 have been assembled according to FIGURES and 6, the book 14 isreceived into and fixedly engaged within the arcuate slot 36 on theforward end of bracket 26. A horizontal member, such as 2" x 4" member66 is positioned as shown in FIGURE 6. At that time, the variouscomponents of my device are in the positions shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.At that point, the handle '64 is pivoted downwardly to the generalpositions shown in FIGURES 3 and 6. This causes yoke 54 to rotate on pin52, and causes roll pin 60 to rotatably push forward on the rearwardvertical edges of arms 44 of carriage 38. This force overcomes thetension in spring 50 and the carriage starts to slide forward on bracket26. This, in turn, causes the vertical bracket 46 on the rearward end ofthe carriage 38 to move forwardly against the horizontal member 66 tobind this member against the sheet 10. The bracket 26 is stabilized byits then rigid engagement with hook 14 on the end of tie 12, for tie 12is held immobile with respect to sheet by element 20. Great stresses areimposed on both pin 52 and pin 60, but pin 62 tends to equallydistribute these stresses throughout the lengths of pins 52 and 60. TheV-shaped element 48 on bracket 46 will make an indentation in the crossmember 66 to more rigidly anchor the cross member.

It will be noted that when handle 64 is moved down-' wardly, avertically disposed 2" X 4" member or the like is adapted for insertionin the notch compartment formed by the rear portions of brackets 46 and26. Also, by viewing FIGURE 3, it is seen that pin 60 is moved slightlymore than 90 degrees from the inoperative position of FIGURE 2,whereupon the spring 50 tends to urge the This tends to continue thetendency of pin 60 to move in a clockwise direction, as viewed in thisfigure, which holds yoke 54 and handle 64 from returning to its originalposition.

After my unit has been so installed and the concrete has been poured andhardened, a removal of the abovementioned vertical member willpermithandle 64 to be raised, whereupon, spring 50 willwithdraw carriage38 rearwardly, and the binding action on horizontal member 66 and tie 12will be released. Hook 14 is then disengaged from arcuate slot 36 inbracket 26, and my device is then free for repeated use. The ends ofties 12 are subsequently broken off and the void space left by elements20 is filled with grout after the form has been completely stripped.

Thus, from the foregoing, it is seen that my device will accomplish atleast all of its stated objectives.

I claim:

1. In a form clamp, a bracket, a carriage movably secured to saidbracket, a bracket element on said carriage for engaging a formsupporting member, means on said bracket for receiving and retaining thehook on a concrete wall tie, connecting means connecting said carriageand said bracket, and lever means secured to said connecting meanswhereby said connecting means can be moved against said carriage to movesaid bracket element against a supporting member on said carriage.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein a yieldable means extends betweensaid bracket and said carriage to yieldably resist the relative movementtherebetween by said lever means.

3. In a form clamp, an inverted U-shaped bracket having a top, twosides, and rearward and forward ends, a pair of elongated slots in saidbracket, a carriage on the top of said bracket, arms on the forward endof said carriage and extending forwardly and downwardly therefromthrough said slots, a cam means mounted within said bracket and being inengagement with said arms whereby the rotation of said cam means in onedirection will move said carriage forwardly on said bracket, and meanson said bracket for receiving and retaining the hook on a concrete walltie.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein a spring connects said bracket andsaid carriage to yieldably resist the movement of said carriage by saidcam means.

5. The structure of claim 3 wherein said carriage is shaped to receive ahorizontal form brace which is rectangular in cross section, and therearward ends of said carriage and said bracket are shaped to receive avertical form brace of similar dimensions to said horizontal form brace.

6. The structure of claim 3 wherein said cam means includes a yoke, ahorizontal pin pivotally securing said yoke to said bracket, and aroll'pin rotatably mounted on said yoke and engaging said arms wherebyrotation of said yoke in one direction will move said carriage forwardlyon said bracket.

'7. The structure of claim 3 wherein said cam means includes a yoke, ahorizontal pin pivotally securing said yoke to said bracket, a roll pinrotatably mounted on said yoke and engaging said arms whereby rotationof said yoke in one direction will move said carriage forwardly on saidbracket and a retaining pin in between said pin and said roll pin andbeing in longitudinal engagement with both of said pins.

8. The structure of claim 3 wherein a spring connects said bracket andsaid carriage to yieldably resist the movement of said carriage by saidcam means, said cam means including a yoke, a horizontal pin pivotallysecuring said yoke to said bracket, and a roll pin rotatably mounted onsaid yoke and engaging said arms whereby rotation of said yoke in onedirection will move said carriage forwardly on said bracket, said rollpin normally being positioned below said pin when said carriage is inits rearmost position with respect to said bracket, and being normallyin a position above said pin when said carriage is moved to itsforwardmost position. a

9. The structure of claim 3 wherein said arms are substantiallyrectangular in shape and include a rearward vertical edge, and saidcam'means engages and is adapted to move against the vertical rearwardedges of said arms.

10. The structure of claim 3 wherein said cam means includes a leverextending substantially vertically downwardly when said carriage ispositioned above said bracket in its forwardmost position.

11. In a form clamp, a bracket, a carriage movably secured to saidbracket, a bracket element on said carriage for engaging a formsupporting member, means on said' bracket for receiving and retainingthe hook on a concrete wall tie, connecting means connecting saidcarriage and said bracket, and lever means secured to said connectingmeans whereby said connecting means can be moved against said carriageto move said bracket element against a supporting member on saidcarriage, said connecting means including a yoke means, a pin rotatablyextending through said bracket and supporting said yoke, and a roll pinrotatably extending through said yoke and being in engagement with saidcarriage.

12. Ina form clamp, a bracket, a carriage movably secured to saidbracket, a bracket element on said carriage for engaging a formsupporting member, means on said bracket for receiving and retaining thehook on a concrete wall tie, connecting means connecting said carriageand said bracket, lever means secured to said connecting means wherebysaid connecting means can be moved against said carriage to move saidbracket element against a supporting member on said carriage, saidconnecting means including a yoke means, a pin rotatably extendingthrough said bracket and supporting said yoke,

5 6 and a roll pin rotatabiy extending through said yoke and 1,084,4891/14- Schmutz 269-236 being in engagement with said carriage, and aretaining 1,629,899 5/27 Wustholz 269-49 X pin disposed between said pinand said r011 pin and being in 1, 43,33 9 27 Col-bin 2 9 23 X engagementtherewith.

References Cited by the Examinm. 5 ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK SUSKO, Examiner.

864,166 8/07 Herrick 269236 X

3. IN A FORM CLAMP, AN INVERTED U-SHAPED BRACKET HAVING A TOP, TWOSIDES, AND REARWARD AND FORWARD ENDS, A PAIR OF ELONGATED SLOTS IN SAIDBRACKET, A CARRIAGE ON THE TOP OF SAID BRACKET, ARMS ON THE FORWARD ENDOF SAID CARRIAGE AND EXTENDING FORWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY THEREFROMTHROUGH SAID SLOTS, A CAM MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID BRACKET AND BEING INENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ARMS WHEREBY THE ROTATION OF SAID CAM MEANS IN ONEDIRECTION WILL MOVE SAID CARRIAGE FORWARDLY ON SAID BRACKET, AND MEANSON SAID BRACKET FOR RECEIVING AND RETAINING THE HOOK ON A CONCRETE WALLTIE.